Independence Bowl point spread: Picking Cal Golden Bears vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders

Bowl season has officially snuck up on us, with games getting underway on Saturday. The first Power Five matchup of the postseason will take place in Shreveport, with the Cal Golden Bears facing off against the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the Independence Bowl. As On3’s Andy Staples and Chris Vannini of The Athletic reflect upon, it’s a rematch of the 2004 Holiday Bowl.

Texas Tech finds itself as a near field goal favorite heading into the matchup. Both teams have six wins and are looking to finish the 2023 season with a winning record. Cal is looking for momentum before heading into the ACC, while Joey McGuire wants to continue to build up his program in a new-look Big 12.

How to watch Cal vs. Texas Tech

Time: 9:15 ET on Saturday, Dec. 16

Channel: ESPN, FuboTV (streaming)

Location: Independence Stadium in Shreveport, LA

Despite not knowing which way this game will go, Staples will be taking Texas Tech -2.5 with his pick. He believes in McGuire being able to fire his team up, especially following the season finale blowout loss against Texas on Black Friday.

Motivation can be a big key in these bowl games at times. The Red Raiders certainly need a big bounce-back in Shreveport.

“Joey McGuire better get them fired up for this game,” Staples said during Monday’s episode of Andy Staples On3. “That said, he strikes me as the type that could… I think I will go Texas Tech. I have no idea what’s going to happen in this game. I really don’t.”

Vannini is going to opposite way, trusting in the team coming into the game with a three-game winning streak. Cal was 3-6 but found a way to beat Washington State, Stanford, and UCLA in order to gain bowl eligibility.

A win would give the Golden Bears a winning season for the first time since 2019. Justin Wilcox is just hoping his offense can continue to play well.

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“I’m going to go Cal,” Vannini said. “I was high on them going into the year. They stumbled a little bit a couple of times. They got the offense going toward the end of the year. I think they’ve got some good talent. I’m going with Cal.”